World Neurosurg
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To determine the impact of the 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic on operative case volume in 8 U.S. neurosurgical residency training programs in early 2020 and to survey these programs regarding training activities during this period. ⋯ This study documents a significant reduction in operative volume in 8 neurosurgery residency training programs in early 2020. During this time, neurosurgery residents engaged in online didactics and research-related activities, reporting increased research productivity. Residency programs should collect data to determine the educational impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on residents' operative case volumes, identify deficiencies, and develop plans to mitigate any effects.
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Telemedicine refers to various modalities for remote care, including telephone calls, imaging review, and real-time video teleconferencing visits. Although it has not been widely used in outpatient neurosurgery settings, the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic has necessitated a broader adoption. Our goal is to show the level of patient satisfaction with their telemedicine care. ⋯ Telemedicine provided a viable and satisfactory option for neurosurgical patients in the outpatient setting during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Case Reports
Inflammatory demyelinating lesions: true sentinel lesion or immune-mediated response to lymphoma?
Inflammatory demyelinating changes in the absence of malignant cells can sometimes be found on initial biopsies preceding the diagnosis of primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL), resulting in the term "sentinel" lesion. Sentinel lesions have been reported sporadically in literature, resulting in many cases of misdiagnosis and delayed treatment. We aim to address the problem of misdiagnosis in PCNSL presenting as inflammatory demyelinating changes or sentinel lesions on initial biopsies, and to discuss our view of the mechanism underlying this phenomenon. ⋯ Based on our cases and those reported in literature, we speculate that the inflammatory demyelinating changes observed on initial biopsies are immune-mediated responses that coexist with PCNSL in different tumor regions, and that they are the direct result of inadvertent sampling from hypoenhancing regions of the tumor, rather than sentinel lesions, as their name implies. We strongly recommend that biopsy target the most enhanced region on MRI when there is high clinical and radiologic suspicion for PCNSL.
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Case Reports
Clinical image of a spinal ependymoma discovered 8 years after initial misdiagnosis as an idiopathic syringomyelia.
With the increasing frequency of neuroimaging, incidental intramedullary cavities are diagnosed more frequently. We present a case of asymptomatic incidental intramedullary cervical cavity diagnosed as an idiopathic syringomyelia as initial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed an isolated cystic image without contrasted component. ⋯ The patient underwent surgical resection and histopathology concluded a papillary ependymoma (grade 2). This case illustrates how asymptomatic intramedullary cavities may hide an underlying tumoral process and why these cavities should not be considered as idiopathic syringomyelia by default, except after prolonged MRI follow-up.
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Focal thoracolumbar kyphotic deformities require operative correction through osteotomies to restore normal spinal balance. Traditional osteotomies, such as the pedicle subtraction osteotomy, that are often used in the lumbar spine are less useful in the thoracolumbar region. The super-pedicle osteotomy is a pedicle-sparing wedge osteotomy that can be used for correction of kyphosis in patients with thoracolumbar deformities. ⋯ In this small series of patients with thoracolumbar kyphosis, the super-pedicle osteotomy technique was clinically useful. More robust examination is required to determine the safety, utility, and durability of this osteotomy technique.